Having lived most of my life in northeast Minnesota I have
had the privilege of playing some of the best courses in the region. For people
from outside this region, and even in this region, the three courses that most
likely come to mind first are the two at Giants Ridge and The Wilderness at Fortune
Bay. Certainly those are three of the better public courses in the country and
I recommend playing them if you haven’t before, but the great nine-hole courses
in this part of the greatest state in the Union should not be overlooked. This
is because they offer quality golf at a reasonable price. Over the next few
months I plan on featuring a few of my favorite nine-hole tracks in my
“Northeast Minnesota Nine-Hole Gems” series of articles. Today we will start
with The Retreat Golf Course in Floodwood.
The main reason why I am starting with The Retreat is that I
recently became a member. They were offering a deal that I just couldn’t pass
up: $175 for a season pass for first-time members. Although Floodwood is the
closest city, The Retreat is actually located about eight miles before
Floodwood, if you are coming from Duluth, right on US Highway 2. This somewhat
remote location leads to this course not being too busy – even on weekends.
At The Retreat, the first four holes are where a golfer
needs to “make hay” as I like to say. The first is a par five measuring 511
yards from the black tees. This is a great opening hole because it gives you
the opportunity to hit driver without fear of losing a ball as it is wide open.
The second shot (or third shot depending on how far you hit your tee ball)
plays considerably downhill. When the course is dry this hole is reachable in
two with a solid drive and solid second with a long iron or fairway wood even
for people that don’t hit the ball extremely far. Even a couple of so-so shots
should leave a golfer with a short iron or wedge in hand for their third. The
second hole is a short par four that could be reached by some with a solid
driver. I like to knock a long iron down the fairway, which usually leaves me
with a wedge in hand. The green slopes quite a bit from right to left. So,
ideally, one would like to land their approach a little right of the hole and
let it feed down. The third is another par five that is potentially reachable
in two with a couple of solid blows, which makes it another great scoring
opportunity. On the fourth, the aggressive play is to hit driver over the
bunkers on the left, which leaves only a pitch shot into the green on this
relatively short par four. Hitting a solid long iron or fairway wood down the
center of the fairway to the right of the bunkers is not a bad option either
though. On the approach shot to the green a golfer needs to be very conscious
of where the pin is located because there is a ridge that runs diagonally
through the back left portion of the green and putting from the wrong side of
the ridge will lead to a three putt more times than not. If you have not “made
hay” on these first four holes, which are the easiest holes to score on at The
Retreat, your score could be in rough shape after playing “Hell’s Corner.”
“Hell’s Corner” consists of the fifth through seventh holes.
It is not necessarily the case that these holes are extremely tough. They can
just be severely penalizing if you miss your shot in the wrong spot. The fifth
hole is a relatively short par four that only requires a long iron or fairway
wood off the tee. What makes this hole tough is the out-of-bounds down the left
side and the pond that encroaches on the right side. The aggressive play off
the tee is to try to carry the left edge of the pond. If successful you are
left with only a pitch shot into the green. Even laying up a little further to
the left should only leave a short iron approach. The challenge only begins
with the tee shot though as the fifth hole bends severely to the right, which
requires you to hit over the same pond that comes into play off the tee on your
approach to the green. The narrow green that slopes from back to front is also
guarded by two bunkers – one in front and
one in back – and can be very hard to hit even with a wedge in hand. The sixth
hole is a par three that plays uphill to a flat green that is cut from the side
of a hill. The ideal play is to aim at the left side of the green. This is
because there is a hillside to the left of the green that usually repels a ball
onto the green. You also want to favor the left side of the green because
missing right can leave you in a bad spot as there is a steep slope just right
of the green. As long as you don’t miss right, you should have a good chance to
make par on this hole. Missing right can bring big numbers into play though.
The seventh hole is probably the toughest hole on the course. It is a 407 yard
par four that requires you to hit a solid tee shot over a river. The second
shot is not any easier as it plays uphill to a small two-tiered green, and
without a solid tee shot, it is not even possible to reach the green in two.
From my experience, it seems that most of the time a golfer is left with a
delicate uphill pitch shot from just short of the green. Finding the right
level of the green is crucial on this pitch shot as three-putts and double
bogeys are likely when putting from the wrong level.
As a golfer exits “Hell’s Corner” the task does not
get much easier. The eighth is a long par three that plays downhill. The left
edge of the green is guarded by a pond, which leads to many a bail-out to the
right. Missing the green to the right is not too bad if the pin is on the left
side of the green or even in the middle of the green. However, it can be tough
to get up-and-down from this position if the pin is on the right side of the
green. The finishing hole is a par four that goes in a ninety degree angle to
the right. Because of this, the ideal tee shot moves left to right. After the
tee shot, one is usually left with a mid to long iron from a lie that slopes
from left to right. The way to play the approach is to aim at the left side of
the green and let this lie do the work of moving the ball left to right.
Overall, The Retreat is a course that offers some solid
scoring opportunities, but at same time, it is challenging enough that you feel
that you have indeed played well if you have posted a good number at the end of
the day. Not only that, it does not put a strain on your billfold as an eighteen hole
round only costs $22, and as was mentioned earlier, a season pass for
first-timers is only $175. So, if you are in the greater Duluth area with your
clubs, don’t miss the opportunity to play this nine-hole gem.
Course Statistics for 18 Holes (Black Tees):
Length: 6234 yards Par: 72 Rating: 71.4 Slope Rating: 124
